1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to warheads intended for destruction of targets using strategic precision. Specifically, this invention relates to missile warheads designed to control an explosive blast.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Missiles and warheads are used in a variety of demanding applications ranging from air to air and ground combat applications to structural demolition applications. Such applications often require missiles with warheads that can effectively and consistently penetrate and explode within hard targets with a great deal of accuracy.
A typical hard target missile includes an explosive warhead enclosed within a steel case. A fuze serves to ignite the explosive warhead following target impact. When a warhead penetrates a target, the fuze detonates a booster or explosive lead, which in turn detonates the explosive fill in the warhead. The explosive fill may be comprised of many different chemical compositions, depending upon the desired effect of the warhead. The amount or type of explosive placed in the warhead controls the intensity of the explosion. As a result, generally, the intensity of the explosion is set when the warhead is constructed.
Detonators contained within the housing of a fuze contain a primary explosive. Primary explosives in the fuze, are kept out-of-line with the secondary explosives until a pre-described series of events occurs which allows the fuze to progress to the "ARMED" condition. The fuze initiates the detonator cord leading to a secondary explosive in the explosive fill. Examples of secondary explosives are boosters and explosive leads.
As warfare becomes more focused on isolating and destroying specific targets, while limiting the damage to any adjacent area, the need for weaponry arises that enables the military to eliminate targets with a great precision. Ideally, the military seeks to limit casualties in the civilian population, as well as, damage to non-military targets such as schools, hospitals and places of worship. To ensure this type of surgical precision, the size of any explosion must be controlled to some extent.
Hence, a need exists in the art for a safe and cost effective warhead, which possesses the capability to create an explosion with varying degrees of intensity, while limiting the possibility that unused explosive fill will undergo sympathetic detonation.
Sympathetic detonation is an explosive chain reaction that occurs when one device or round (often referred to as a "donor explosion") initiates a shock wave that results in the high-order detonation throughout adjacent explosives. Sympathetic detonation has been addressed in related technology. One method of mitigating the effect of the dynamic shock which causes sympathetic detonation uses ground or crushed compressible pumice as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,173 issued Oct. 27, 1992 to Halsey, et al. and assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy. U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,173 discloses a material for absorbing the dynamic shock of an explosion to prevent sympathetic detonation of adjacent explosives. The material comprises a filler material for damping an explosive shock. The filler means is collapsible and capable of absorbing an explosive shock and is also nonflammable in an aggressive thermal environment. A binding means allows the filler to cast into a self-supporting shape. A relatively compressible volcanic material, that is, a pumice is provided with a binder of a casting plaster.